


Ember Shroud

by lydia_rogue



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Depression, F/F, Fix-It, Trauma, Volume 3 Spoilers, implied past Adam/Blake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-04
Updated: 2016-03-04
Packaged: 2018-05-24 14:31:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6156635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lydia_rogue/pseuds/lydia_rogue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blake has run away for her entire life. When she finally stops, she's standing outside a window in Patch, wondering if she would still be welcome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ember Shroud

**Author's Note:**

> Technically a direct sequel to [Gambol Celica](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6045646), however it does stand on its own. All you need to know from that is that Blake went back to Beacon to retrieve Gambol Shroud and also picked up the other gauntlet of Ember Celica. (Mind the tags on that one)

Even with large parts of Vale City in ruins, the city continued to thrive. Blake kept to the shadows, mostly, falling into old habits learned during her time in the White Fang. 

Stick to the shadows. 

Engage no one.

Do what you have to.

Survive.

She avoided the White Fang and Atlesian forces alike, sticking to the shadows and picking off lone Grimm when they crossed her path. She couldn't keep going at the reckless pace she was pushing herself but she had to stay away. If she loved nothing and cared about no one, then there would be nothing left for Adam to destroy and he would have to seek her out.

“You know, this is what I always loved about working with you, my love.” 

Adam’s voice in the darkness was as slick as an oil spill and twice as slimy. She focused on carefully shifting her stance into a more defensive posture, checking her escape routes out of habit.

“You were always willing and able to finish what I started." 

She refused to look at him, not rising to the bait. She wouldn't run this time - it was going to be him or her. 

"The train car? I got us there but you stole it. Yang? Well.” He stepped forward into the light of her fire. “I may have cut her arm off, but you destroyed her.”

Blake couldn’t help look up at him.

“Killing her would be a mercy at this point. Weiss in Atlas, sister gone, partner missing…” He smirked. “But only the best for you, my darling. I won’t kill her. I didn’t even have to destroy her.

“When you’re done running. I’ll be here,” he said and slipped back into the shadows.

Blake shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. She couldn't really deny the accusation. But she was done running - that he had right. 

She climbed the nearest house and ran across Vale towards Patch.

***

Days bled into weeks. Yang was alone.

Raven had left.

Blake had left.

Ruby had left.

Taiyang was only there out of a sense of obligation - he'd made it clear to Qrow that he would have left in a heartbeat if Yang wasn't there. 

He always woke her up with a fake, plastered on smile before throwing open the curtains and today was no different. She wanted to yell at him to just go and do what he actually wanted but she couldn't find the energy to do so.

"It's going to be a beautiful day today. I..." He trailed off, not going into his usual ramble about what he had planned for the day. 

Yang sat up, struggling to see what had made him pause. There were two flowers on the windowsill - a white tulip and something she didn't recognize.

"Looks like you have a secret admirer." He cracked open the window just enough to retrieve them and Yang rolled her eyes. Sure, dad. Whatever makes you happy. I'll pretend they're not from you, she thought.

"White tulip - I know that one. Forgiveness - goodness knows there was enough of that going around when Summer, Raven and I were sorting our relationship out. But this one - belladonna - I'm not familiar with."

Yang froze. "Belladonna," she echoed.

"Yeah. I could look it up... ah, well, not at the moment. Might have one of Summer's old books laying around..."

Yang took the blossoms and stared at them. "It's okay, I understand it."

"Let me get a vase."

She crushed the delicate blooms in her hand. "No. It's fine. I don't want them."

"Okay..." he said, drawing out the word. "I'll go get some breakfast, then." 

The blooms continued to come - one white tulip and one belladonna flower every day, carefully laid out in a row on the sill. 

"Do you want me to move them?" her father asked one evening as he was helping her get to bed.

"No, it's fine. Would you... would you not draw the curtains closed completely? Just leave a little gap."

"Sure. I do check, every now and again, if you're worried they're up to something. They don't seem to mean any harm."

Yang shook her head. "She's already done the damage," she muttered, mostly to herself as she pulled the covers up and over her. Blake would be able to see her now. Peek in and see that Yang was still here and then leave with an eased conscience. 

But another pair of blossoms appeared the next morning, still a silent plea for forgiveness. Yang couldn't be sure though if Blake was asking for forgiveness for the right thing. As cold as she felt right then, she did want to see her partner - her friend - again. And Blake had come back - against all odds, Blake had come back and had stuck around.

So she got to her feet, unsteady as she walked into the kitchen. Her father nearly dropped the plate of food he was making for her. "Yang! You're up!" 

It was the first time she had left her room except to use the restroom since waking up in Patch. 

"Do we have any canned tuna?"

"Suuuuuuuuuuuure?" He opened a cabinet and pulled one down. "Do you want it opened?"

Yang was rummaging through the drawer for a can opener already. "Nah, I've got this." It sounded so casual to her - so much like her old self again it startled her. "Might need help getting the window open though."

"Anything you need," he promised, following her into her room.

While the window was open, she carefully gathered the blossoms that weren't completely wilted and put them in the glass of water he'd brought for her breakfast. 

She found herself checking the sill periodically throughout the day - wandering out of her room and back in to see if Blake would come for the food when she wasn't there.

But it remained untouched.

Yang couldn't bring herself to acknowledge the thought that Blake had finally left. Maybe she had driven her partner away for good this time - but it lingered in the back of her mind.

She carefully set the glass of flowers on the inside window sill in the gap of the curtains that night. 

A soft tapping at the window was what roused her the next morning and Yang sat up faster than she had in a long time, yanking back the curtains to see Blake standing there, holding a whole bouquet of tulips and belladonna blossoms.

She looked different - leaner but also like she was falling apart along the edges. Her white shirt was stained with soot and blood and for once she wasn't wearing her bow - the black ribbon instead was tied around the bouquet.

Blake reached out to place her hand on the glass, drawing Yang's attention to the right gauntlet of Ember Celica strapped to her.

She struggled with the window for a moment but it was too big and awkward to get with one hand.

"Front door," she said through the glass and Blake nodded.

Her dad was there in the kitchen as she rushed past and wrenched the front door open.

"Blake!" She grabbed her partner and dragged her into the house.

"Yang... I'm so sorry." Blake was already starting to tear up. She set the flowers down on the counter and her ears laid flat against her head. "I didn't... I'm sorry."

"Just... why? Why did you run?" she started to tear up too but then the pent-up rage started to bubble to the surface. "I needed you, Blake! You were the first person I looked for when I woke up! Last I saw you Adam had just _stabbed_ you and then Sun had to tell me that you ran off - back towards Beacon where last I heard was overrun with Grimm and the White Fang!"

Blake shook her head, tears starting to fall. "I thought. I thought if I proved to Adam I didn't care about you he wouldn't hurt you any more. I thought I was keeping you safe. But instead I was just doing what I've always done and finished what he started and I'm so tired of running, Yang. I'm so tired. I thought if I just stopped loving you it'd all be better, but that's not how it works." She looked down at Ember Celica - the only thing on her that didn't look like it had been to war and back. 

"I couldn't stop loving you," she whispered. "And I couldn't stay away - not any more and I'm sorry and I'm not going to leave again unless you want me to."

Yang threw her arm around Blake and started to cry - the first time she'd wept since waking up alone on an airship full of friends. "I love you too you idiot," she mumbled into Blake's shoulder. "You're stuck with me now."


End file.
